Atalanta’s bold decision to rest star player Ademola Lookman came back to haunt them as they suffered a surprising 2-3 home defeat to newly promoted Como during their Serie A matchday five clash on Tuesday night.
The Europa League champions struggled without their Nigerian talisman, who only entered the game in the second half but still managed to make a huge impact.
The match, originally scheduled for Monday night but delayed due to heavy rain that flooded the pitch, saw Atalanta start brightly at the Gewiss Stadium.
They grabbed the lead in the 18th minute when Davide Zappacosta capitalised on a defensive lapse by Como, putting the ball into the net after the visitors failed to properly clear a corner.
Como comeback stuns Ademola Lookman's Atalanta
Despite the setback, Como showed fighting spirit, and flipped the script at the start of the second half with three goals in 15 minutes to stun the hosts.
Atalanta threw on talisman Ademola Lookman in the 55th minute, but struggled to muster a response until deep into stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty.
The Super Eagles forward calmly converted, marking his second league goal of the season, but it was too little, too late to avoid a third defeat in five league games.
Lookman added some urgency to Atalanta’s attack, making 21 touches, completing five accurate passes, and pulling off two successful dribbles in his 35 minutes on the field.
He also provided an accurate cross, but his contributions weren’t enough to overturn the deficit.
Meanwhile, it's back-to-back goals for Lookman in Serie A, with his last coming against Fiorentina in their 3-2 home win. He already has an assist to his name.
With that disappointing result, Atalanta’s poor start to the campaign continues, as they struggled to turn their dominance in possession into clear opportunities, despite an evenly matched battle in terms of goal attempts.
